I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automotive accessories and more particularly to a visual indicator for coupling to the steering wheel of the motor vehicle for indicating the expected movement of a trailer being drawn by a vehicle as the vehicle moves in the reverse direction.
II. Description of the Prior Art
The increased use of recreational trailer units, and rental trailers that are drawn by automotive type vehicles has led to the introduction and development of various trailer hitch guiding devices which are attached to or detachably mounted on external parts of the trailer hitch, the drawing vehicle, the trailer or towed vehicle, the rear window, mirrors, etc. While each of these various types of guiding devices is satisfactory for the intended purpose, which is allowing the driver to quickly couple the vehicle to the trailer, the disadvantage of these guiding devices is that they do not provide the driver of the drawing vehicle the means of knowing exactly which way to turn the steering wheel to cause the trailer to travel in the desired direction during all phases of operation, including forward, reverse and standstill speeds. Also, these devices do not provide the driver the added safety of knowing at all times the relative position of the trailer and the drawn vehicle and they do not have the advantage of being universally adaptable to the various kinds of trailing vehicles presently in use.
The difficulty in backing a trailer into a preselected location, especially in tighter congested quarters, is so great that even experienced drivers require constant practice and are at times required to stop and think which way the steering wheel should be turned. The use of a second person is often required to assist and direct the driver during the backing up operation. In the case of a novice driver, backing a trailer is often virtually impossible, always confusing and frustrating. In most cases a novice backing a trailer is at best unsafe, even to the extent the damage to the trailer and surrounding property is a common result.
The use of a second person does not totally alleviate the problems of knowing which way to turn the steering wheel. For example, the guiding individual may direct the driver to turn the trailer to the right and yet if the driver does not know that he must turn the steering wheel to the left, he is further frustrated and confused in attempting to follow these directions, especially when the trailer may tend to move in the opposite direction.
The prior art is not helpful in discovering a solution for this problem. Basso in U.S. Pat. No. 2,681,633 discloses an elongated pointer attached to a base which is affixed to the shelf area above the dash of the motor vehicle for indicating to the driver the proper time for turning the steering wheel during the parallel parking process. Various prior art patents have been issued to cover devices and methods for allowing the driver of the drawing vehicle to quickly move the vehicle in a reverse direction for coupling to a trailer to be pulled. Inventions of this type are disclosed by White in U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,384, Alexander in U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,328, Lowell in U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,966, Voelkerding in U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,703, Salmi in U.S. Pat. No. 3,734,539, and Leber in U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,423.
However, none of these devices are suitable for solving the problem at hand, that is for illustrating the selection of the proper direction a driver must turn the steering wheel of the drawing vehicle prior to and during the backing operation so as to cause the trailing vehicle to travel in a desired direction. In contrast with the prior art devices this apparatus provides the driver with a visual indication of the correctness or incorrectness of the direction he has turned the steering wheel prior to and during the actual backing operation. In as much as the direction in which the steering wheel is turned while backing a trailer is directly opposite that normally expected in the forward direction, the driver of the drawing vehicle must rely on his memory, a second person, or the trial and error technique to determine the correctness or incorrectness of his actions during the backing operation.